Revolving center-board



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. F. W. MARTIN. REVOLVINGCENTER BOARD.

Patented Feb. 11,1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. P. W. MARTIN. REVOLVING CENTER BOARD.

No. 421,008. Patented Feb. 11 1890.

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FREDERICK \V. MARTIN, OF CLAYTON, NEW YORK.

REVOLVING CENTER-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 421,008, dated February11, 1890.

Application filed March 2, 1839- Sen'al No. 301,795. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. MAR- TIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Clayton, in the county of Jefferson and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .RevolvingCenter- Boards for Boats, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the center-boards and rudders ofboats; and its object is to combinein two blades operated simultaneouslythe functions of both centerboards and rudders.

The essentials of this invention consist of certain improvements upon myformer invention set forth in Letters Patent of the gagged States No.398,900, dated March 5,

The object of my invention is accomplished bymeans of the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a planview of my improved revolving center-boards for boats when secured in aboat ready for use, the outline of the boat being shown partly brokenaway. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a boat, partly broken away and shownin section, exhibiting a lateral view of my improved machinery. Fig. 3is a vertical longitudinal section of a center-board trunk, showing theupper part of the center-board shaft with upper bearing and part of ahalyard for lifting the centerboard. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional viewof the telescope-shaft on which the tiller and a yoke are secured. Fig.5 is a vertical transverse section of the trunks and the hull of theboat, showing the upper and lower bearings of the center-board shafts insection. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the tiller-shaft and itsjournal-bearings. Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively a plan view andvertical section of the socket designed to receive the lower end of thesaid shaft and its lug. Fig. 9 is a vertical central section of thetiller-shaft.

Fig. 10 is an elevation of the tiller-shaft de-- to the deck. Figs. 12,13, and 14 are respectively vertical, longitudinal, and cross sectionsof the same.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, 1 is the hull of the boat, I

and 2 its deck.

3 and 4 are trunks, made large enough to receive the center-boards 5 and6. In the keel longitudinal slots 7 7 are made large enough to permitthe center-boards to pass through. The trunks are built over theseslots, making water-tight connection with the bottom of the boat, andbeing themselves water-tight.

The center-boards are secured, respectively, upon the shafts 8 and 9.The sleeve-bearings 1O 10, secured to the bottom of the trunks over theslots, furnish bearings for the lower part of the shafts. Steel plates11 are secured to the top of the trunks, one upon the other, the formerextending upward far enough to permit the bosses 24: to be placedbetween the plates,'and both being made with holes to permit the passageof the shafts of the center-boards. 12 12 are halyards, by which thecenter-boards may be lifted into the trunks.

13 is the female section of a telescope-shaft, extending from the bottomof the boat above the deck.

14 is the male section of the shaft.

15 is a small lug extending at right angles from the lower end of thissection.

16 is a set-screw in the female part of the shaft, designed to secure itat any desired position on the male section of the same.

17 and 17% are plates secured, the latter upon the former and both tothe bottom of the boat forward of the aft trunk, and made to furnish asocket-bearing for the male part of the shaft. A recess 18 is madewithin the piece 17 around the socket large enough to receive the lug15, and a slot 19 is made in the part 17% next to the socket aft of thesame large enough to receive the lug. The female part of the shaftpasses through the middle of the yoke 20, and is made rigid with it bythe set-screw 21. The tiller 22 is secured upon the shaft near its upperend.

The center-board shafts are rectangular at their upper ends. 23 is ayoke (shown in Figs. 1 and 4) having the boss 24 (shown in Fig. 4) rigidwith it at its middle point. A

rectangular hole 25 passes through this boss,

of such size that the upper part ofthe shaft 9 fits it, but not tightly.

26 is a steel plate secured to the top of the trunk just below the lowerone of the plates 11. It has a round hole, furnishing a bcaring for therounded part of a center-board shaft, and made so small that therectangular part of the shaft cannot pass through it. Thus it is made tosustain the center-board when it is let down into the water.

27 is a boss (shown in Fig. 3) made rigid with the segment of agear-wheel 28 at its central point. (Said gear-whcel is shown in Figs. 1and 3.)

The bosses 21 and 27 are designed to take the place of the washers andwasher-boxes shown in my patent above mentioned.

The yoke r2 is made rigid with the segment of a gearwheel 30, whose axle31 is provided with suitable bearings in the plates 11. These two wheelsmesh with each other. Yoke-lines 32 extend from the yoke 12 to andaround pulleys secured to yoke 23 and thence to yoke 20. They areprepared in any suitable way to be quickly and easily attached to anddetached from yoke 20. I provide them with hooks and the yoke withstaples. The lines have the buttons 33 secured upon them at suitablepoints to prevent them when not taut from running through the pulleys.

35 is a casting having a slot 36 wide enough to permit the passage ofthe section 13 of the telescope-shaft, and curved to fit into the groove39 in the same. In the sides of the slot grooves are made, and in thesethe plate 37 slides. A set-screw 38 passes through this plate, and theplate at one end is collar-shaped, so as to fit into the groove 39around the female part of the shaft. The casting 35 is secured to thedeck with the slot aft, and so that the radial focus of its curve willbe directly above the center of the socket in the pieces 17 and 17?}.Below the slot in this casting there is a corresponding slot in thedeck, in which grooves are made, and at the edges of this slot twoplates are secured to the bottom of the deck, and on these the plate 40slides, having the nut 11 secured upon it. This nut is of the propersize to receive the set-screw 38. Thus, as is apparent, an admirableclamping contrivan ce is secured to firmly hold the telescope-shaft invertical position. I employ the telescopeshaft and its associated parts,instead of placing the yoke e22 upon a fixed pivot, to accomplish threepurposes-first, that the yoke may be used either below or above deck;second, that the contrivance may be used in boats of different depths,and, third, that a means may be provided for quickly and easilytightening the yoke-lines.

The operation of the machinery is obvious. Loose the halyards and letthe center-boards down into the water. Draw out the plate 37, and thenpass the telescope-shaft down through the slot 36 to the socket 34:,revolve the shaft till the lug 15 drops through the slot 19, thenrevolve the shaft till its yoke is transverse to the length of the boat,hitch the lines 32 to it, draw it forward till the lines are taut, andthen secure it by sliding the plate 37 into the slot 30 and fasteningitwith its set-screw 38. Now use the tiller and the center-boards willrevolve-one toward the port and the other toward the starboard side-andthus the boat is easily and quickly turned as may be desired. If theshaft 8 is raised till its rectangular part is above the boss 2i, andthe upper edge of the board 5 is within the slot 7, this board will actas a center-board only, while the stern-board can be used alone as arudder. When sailing before the wind, the forward board may be housed inthe trunk.

The telescope-shaft may be used in combination with the rudders now incommon use.

Other advantages of my invention are obvious. The inconvenience ofhaving a trunk in the middle of a boat is avoided, and likewise that ofhaving a rudder in the way when launching or beaching a boat.

I am aware that other inventions have been patented in which two boardsare employed in one boat, both as center-boards and rudders; hence I donot claim such an invention, broadly; but

\Vhat I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. In machinery for steering boats, sub" stantially as described, thecombination of a telescope-shaft, a tiller, and a yoke rigidly securedupon the same, a socket-bearing for the lower end of said shaft looselyfitting the same, a casting made with a slot, and a plate to slide insuch slot, designed to furnish a bearing for the upper part of theshaft, a setscrew to secure said plate in any desired position, andyoke-lines connected with the machinery by which the center-boards arerevolved, as and for the purposes specified.

2. In machinery for steering boats, substantially-as described, thecombination of a telescope-shaft formed with the lug 15 extending atright angles from the outer end of its male part, and with the groove 39around the female part near its opposite end, the tiller 22, rigidlysecured upon said end, the yoke 42, rigidlyseeured by a set-screw uponthe female part of the shaft, the plates 17 and 171}, secured to thebottom of the boat and furnishing the socket-bearing 3% for the lowerend of the shaft, the slot 19 for the passage of the lug 15, and therecess 18 for its reception, the casting 35, having the curved slot 36,secured to the top of the deck, the plate 37, made with its inner endcurved and adapted to fit snugly around said telescope-sh aft inconnection with the curved end of the slot 36, slidin gin grooves in thesides of the slot and having the set screw 38, the plate 40, carryingrigidly secured. upon it the nut 1-1 and sliding in tracks made for itbeneath the deck under the slot- 36, yokelines 32, connected with theyokes, by means of which the center-boards are caused to revolve, andthe buttons 33 upon said lines, as and for the purposes specified.

3. In machinery for steering boats, substantially as described, thecombination of a yoke upon the upper part of the aft centerboard shaft,a yoke pivoted near the forward cen ter-board shaft, a segment of agear-wheel rigid with said yoke, a boss rigid with another segment of agear-wheel meshing with the former, an upright revoluble telescope-shaftbetween the two other shafts, having a yoke and a tiller rigidly securedupon it, and yokelines connecting said yokes, as and for the purposestated.

4.- In machinery for steering boats, the combination of center boardshafts, rectangular a short distance at their upper ends and roundbelow, bosses having rectangular holes to receive said shafts, two pairsof plates formed to receive and furnish bearings for the bosses securedupon the deck, plates secured below said pairs of plates, each having around ,hole of diameter greater than the round part of the shafts andless than their rectangular part, a yoke rigid with the boss of the aftshaft, a segment of a gear-wheel rigid with the forward boss, a boss andyoke pivoted between the forward pair of plates and rigid with thesegment of a second gearwheel meshing with the former, a telescopeshaftsecured upright and revolving between the shafts aforesaid and having ayoke and tiller rigidly secured to it, and two lines, each connectingcorresponding ends'of all of said yokes, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

FREDERICK W. MARTIN.

Witnesses:

JOHN GRAHAM FRASER, WM. H. Runs.

